The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the
persistence of veteran elementary and middle school teachers who persevered at urban, non-fully accredited public schools in eastern Virginia. The purpose of this chapter is to explain the insights developed by conducting this research study. It provides a detailed summary of the findings from the data collected. It also provides an extensive discussion of the findings and presents implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research based on the discovered findings.
Summary of Findings
This transcendental phenomenological study focused on the experience of veteran teachers’ persistence in the educational field, specifically in urban, non-fully accredited public schools in eastern Virginia. One central research question and three sub-questions, all developed through current theoretical frameworks and educational literature, guided the study. Throughout the research study, I used journaling to continuously bracket my feelings and personal biases due to my personal experience with the lived experience, which allowed me to clearly analyze and interpret the data as they were presented (Creswell, 2013; Moustakas, 1994). Through a thorough data analysis four themes were identified. The four themes were (a) challenging but impactful, (b) positive fit with others in the building, (c) never stop trying, and (d) love for students. The four themes that emerged from the collected data captured the veteran teachers’ experiences and directly answered the research questions that guided the study.
The central research question that guided the study asked, How do elementary and/or middle school teachers who persist in urban, non-fully accredited public schools describe their
teaching experiences? Responses to the central research question revealed the first theme: challenging but impactful. All 10 participants in this study expressed that teaching in an urban, public, non-fully accredited school was challenging; however, despite the daily challenges they know they are completing work that is meaningful and are impacting their students which has always been a desire of theirs. Per participant narratives, all 10 of the participants decided to become a teacher because they had a desire, in some capacity, to work with children and/or to help others. During the individual interviews, the participants described that they were drawn to the educational field because they wanted to help others and make a difference. Even though each of the veteran teachers described different reasons for becoming a teacher, all 10 of the participants explained that they were drawn to the educational field because it would provide them with an opportunity to serve others. Throughout the individual interviews, online focus group discussion, and in the letter compositions, the veteran teachers acknowledged that the educational environment in which they work is full of challenges and stressors that are brought on by the students, by parents, by coworkers, by administration, by the school district, by the state, and by themselves. The participants described that they experienced these challenges and stressors on a daily basis; however, they do experience days that are better than others when they are faced with what seems like less challenges. However, despite the abundance of challenges with which their educational environment is filled, the participants are not focused on or
overtaken by them. They remain concentrated on the ultimate work of serving the students and helping them be successful. All of the veteran teachers who participated in the study focused their narratives more on their work of helping the students be successful, leaving an impact on their students to ensure they can be productive individuals in the future, and working to show
growth is possible in all of their students than on the negative aspects, even though they face them constantly and consistently in their educational environment.
Three research sub-questions guided the study further. The first sub-question asked, How do elementary and/or middle school teachers in urban, non-fully accredited public schools
describe their fit in their environment and how it contributes to their persistence in their educational environment? The responses to Sub-question One revealed the second theme: positive fit with others in the building. Through their responses to the Perceived Person– Environment Fit Surveys, during the individual interviews, and during the online focus group discussion it was shown that all of the veteran teachers who participated in the study felt they had a good match to their coworkers and their building administration. The narratives of the participants showed that their fit with their coworkers and administration helped ease the
challenges they faced and helped them believe they were working in a positive environment. All 10 participants expressed that they felt they had a positive match to their building administrator: two participants felt they were a match, three participants felt they were a good match, four participants felt they were a very good match, and one felt they were a complete match to their building administrator. The veteran teachers based their level of match to their building administrator on their similarities in values, personality, work style, work expectations, and desired leadership style. The participants explained that they all felt comfortable with their administrators and looked towards them as a role model, support, leader, problem solver,
listening ear, and professional friend. During the online focus group discussion, the participants acknowledged that building administrators can create working environments that are easy or hard to work in and that they have the ability to solely support teacher retention or encourage teacher attrition. The veteran teachers also acknowledged that the school climate is an aspect that can
support teacher retention or encourage teacher attrition. Additionally, the participants’ narratives revealed that they felt they had a good fit with their coworkers, enjoyed working with them, were able to rely on them for help, and were able to learn and grow because of them. Through several of the participants’ narratives of their lived experience, they explained that when they had years when they did not feel they had a positive fit with their coworkers, it made the work they
completed more difficult and less enjoyable. They described that having a negative fit left them feeling without support and conflicted on the work that they needed to complete. The
participants in this study persisted in their environment because of their positive fit with their administration and the level of support they are given from them and their positive fit with their coworkers, especially those on their grade level team.
The second sub-question asked, How do elementary and/or middle school teachers in urban, non-fully accredited public schools describe their mindset and how it relates to their persistence in their educational environment? Responses to Sub-question Two revealed the third theme: never stop trying. I anticipated that the participants in the study were persisting in their environments because of the mindset they hold. According to Dweck’s motivation and mindset theory an individual’s beliefs can affect his or her personal achievements (Dweck, 2001); all of the veteran teachers in the study have experienced achievement by persisting in a challenging and stressful educational environment. The responses from the participants during the individual interviews, focus group discussions, and written letters to novice teachers showed that the
veteran teachers are aware of the increased challenges and stresses they face teaching in an urban, non-fully accredited public school; however, they still choose to remain dedicated to their work instead of finding an easier environment to work in or giving up on their work altogether. All 10 participants discussed various challenges and stresses, such as lack of parental support,
wide ranges of learning needs, increased frequency of observations, behavioral issues, increased paperwork, and the constant reminder of needed accreditation, that they face in their
environment and how these factors can be overwhelming at times; however, they accept these challenges because they know they are there to help their student’s experience growth and success. More than half of the veteran teachers specifically acknowledged having a growth mindset as it relates to their career while the others described themselves as having
characteristics of individuals that hold a growth mindset. The characteristics they described themselves as having were resilient, reflective, open-minded, positive, helpful, self-confident, life-long learner, and helpful. The veteran teachers’ lived experiences showed that they know they are not always successful and have difficult days in their work, but despite this, they continue their work to ensure they are effective in what they do. Teachers also have a growth mindset about their students, believing they are able to be successful in all that they do, despite any challenges they bring or are experiencing, their background, their current level, or their race and ethnicity.
The third sub-question asked, How do elementary and/or middle school teachers in urban, non-fully accredited public schools describe their motivational factors and how do they relate to their persistence in their educational environment? The responses to Sub-question Three
revealed the fourth theme: love for students. Reflections during the data collection revealed that participants described their motivational factors in varying ways; however, all 10 participants described factors that were related to the students they serve. All of the veteran teachers in this study expressed that they were encouraged to become a teacher because they either loved children or had a desire to help others. All of the participants in the study expressed that they face challenges with their students daily. The challenges they faced, as related to students, can
range from behavior, to academic, to emotional challenges, to parental involvement; however, despite these challenges they remain dedicated to their work and ensuring that their students are able to experience growth. All of the veteran teachers that participated in the study made direct quotes and shared personal stories about how they feel they have accomplished their work and/or are motivated by the moments when their students learn something new and are able to apply it to current and future situations. The motivation for veteran teachers to persist in their
challenging educational environment came from the students they serve and ensuring that the students are able to grow and gain skills that allow them to be successful now and later in life.
An abundance of knowledge was acquired from the participants of this study through the multiple data collection methods. Completing a rigorous data analysis led me to conclude that the veteran teachers have an unconditional love for the students that they serve, and despite the numerous challenges they face, they find their work impactful. All of the participants also expressed the importance of never giving up despite the challenges and stressors and fitting in with the other individuals within the building.
Discussion
The purpose of this transcendental, phenomenological study was to describe the
persistence of veteran elementary and middle school teachers who persevered at urban, non-fully accredited public schools in eastern Virginia. This study focused on the need to build an
understanding and discover how to retain teachers in educational environments that are often thought of as challenging. This study confirmed both empirical and theoretical literature. The participants’ description of the lived experience supported previous literature while giving a deeper understanding of how their environmental fit, mindset, and motivational factors impact the persistence of veteran teachers.
Relationship to Empirical Literature
This study focused on why veteran teachers in urban, non-fully accredited public schools persist in their educational environments despite the increased challenges and stressors that they consistently face. Current educational research related to the focus of this phenomenological study centers primarily on teacher attrition and the factors that contribute to it and teacher retention of novice teachers and what encourages it. There is minimal educational literature on teacher retention as it relates to veteran teachers, especially of those in challenging
environments. This section will describe the connection between the recent empirical literature reviewed in Chapter Two and the information revealed through the data analysis of the described study.
Factors that contribute to teacher retention. Current educational research on what increases teacher retention describes numerous factors that have been found to encourage persistence among teachers, especially that of novice teachers. In previous studies, attending an effective career preparation program, working in a school that has a positive school climate, building and maintaining positive relationships with students, being allowed to have input on the teaching methods used, and having a supportive administrative staff have all been found to be factors that encourage increased teacher retention (Bernhardt, 2012; Cochran-Smith, 2004; Dagenhart et al., 2010; Eckert, 2013; Snyder, 2012; Veldman et al., 2016). The information that was revealed through the data analysis of this study did not support that the persistence of teachers is supported through attending an effective career preparation program. All 10 of the participants shared a very different preparation program and path that they took to become a teacher. A majority of the participants shared that they developed and grew as a teacher, primarily through their own experiences as an educator and learning from their coworkers
instead of through their chosen program. Additionally, as the participants described their lived experience, they did not mention that having input on the teaching methods used in their classroom encouraged them to continue in their environment. Three of the participants did mention that one challenge that they faced in their environment was that they lack the ability to have complete say in how instruction is completed in their classroom; therefore, this previous finding was not supported through the results of this research study.
The results of this study do validate that the persistence of veteran teachers in urban, non- fully accredited public schools is encouraged by having supportive administrative staff, working in a school that has a positive school climate, and building and maintaining positive relationships with students. Principals’ leadership is one of the major components of effective schools and is also a factor that impacts a teacher’s level of satisfaction with their job and, therefore,
contributes to their persistence in their career (Beteille et al., 2012; Urick, 2016). Past studies have found that when teachers do not receive the appropriate amount of support from their in- school administration they feel stressed, overworked, and underappreciated which promotes teacher attrition (Beteille et al., 2012; Kersaint, et al., 2007; Urick, 2016). The participants’ lived experiences supported these results, as having supportive administration relates to one of the themes that emerged from analyzing the collected data from the Perceived Person–Environment Fit Survey, individual interviews, online focus group discussion, and letter writings in the presented study. Throughout this study, the veteran teachers revealed that they felt like their administration positively impacted them through the support given by them, the encouragement provided by them, and the positive relationship they had with them which helped create an uplifting school environment. Jennifer stated:
I have a good relationship with my administrator. I feel like I can go to talk to him about anything, professional or personal, and he will provide a listening ear. He provides solutions to problems that are brought to him and I feel that he has his teachers’ backs. It is nice to know that you have someone in your corner when you are having a bad day or experiencing a challenge of some sort.
All of the participants in the study expressed that they felt that they were a good match to their in-school administration. The veteran teachers in the study all described having a positive relationship with their school leader and agreed that it helped decrease the challenges and stressors that they experience in their educational environment due to their administrators being there to provide them with advice, an outlet to express themselves, a support system when needed, and an encouragement through the difficult days. In a study completed by Otto and Arnold (2005), it was found that when teachers do not receive the level of support they feel is needed by their school leaders, they experience increased levels of dissatisfaction and stress and decreased levels of appreciation and work ethic. The described study supported these findings by showing through the participants’ rich and thick descriptions that when teachers receive the support they feel is needed they have increased levels of satisfaction, appreciation, and work ethic and decreased levels of stress which encourages them to persist despite the constant challenges they face.
Additionally, through the completion of the described research study it was found that veteran teachers’ fit with their coworkers promotes their persistence in the educational field. Past research had not identified this as a factor that increases teacher retention. All of the participants in this study described their positive fit with their coworkers and how it provided them with a support system, individuals to collaborate with, and others to learn from. Several of
the veteran teachers described how having a grade level team that fits well together allows the school year to become easier to manage and less stressful. Many of the veteran teachers,
additionally, shared that they prefer when their grade level teams stay together or the school staff remains the same as it allows more time to be spent on accomplishing their common goal and allows them to rely on the strengths of others, instead of devoting time to getting to know each other and learning how to best work together. This has been supported by past research, as previous studies have found that veteran teachers are often negatively impacted by teacher attrition because they experience increased stress levels due to being the ones expected to mentor and train the newly hired educators (Guin, 2004; Heineke et al, 2014).
Veteran teachers and the students they serve. Past research has found that individuals enter the teaching profession for idealistic reasons, such as providing children with opportunities, making the world a better place, and impacting others (Cochran-Smith, 2004; Heineke et al., 2014; Ingersoll & Merrill, 2012). The results of this study supported this past research, as love for children is a theme that emerged through analyzing the data collected throughout the study. All 10 of the participants in this study revealed that they unconditionally love the students that they serve in their educational environment. Along with unconditionally loving their students, all 10 veteran teachers acknowledged that they entered the teaching profession because of their desire to help others and love for children. However, it has been found that the love for students and the positive attitudes towards the students are not enough to sustain teachers in the teaching